Bacon and bourbon shots

Eric BorzinoNovember 10, 2010

Bacon is made to go with everything, but it is epic when infused into a bourbon shot. Like Four Loko, this shot may one day be illegal and have people kicked out of restaurants just for ordering it. This is a fantastic shot to have during dinners & while pre-gaming. It is a bit gimmicky – seriously, does bacon really go with everything – but it also definitely works and is phenomenal tasting. And ladies, men love the smell of bacon so load yourselves up before going out.

How to prepare your bacon and bourbon shots

Preparing this drink is ultra easy. Use any bacon, but the fattier the better. Guanciale, lardo, or other fatty pork products would also make good substitutes. I prefer the thicker cut farmhouse-style bacon and wouldn’t recommend Canadian bacon as it is too lean. Feel free to use whatever quality of bourbon you like. I suggest a solid Maker’s or Woodford Reserve, since they are a good mixture of sweet and smooth. Salon has a fantastic bourbon guide online here.

Prepare the bacon by sauteing them in a cast-iron skillet. Don’t cook them all the way so that it is a brunt, crunchy stick. I abhor that! Where’s the fat man, that’s the best part texturally and taste wise on a piece of oozy bacon. You want the bacon to be flimsy and still with fat not fully rendered out. Proceed to take a slice of bacon. Rub the rim of the shot glass with the piece of bacon. This coats the shot glass with the tasty bacon goodness. Feel free to pour some bacon fat in the bottom of the shot glass if you are so daring (I do and am). Take a piece of bacon (any size) and drop into the shot glass. Pour in the bourbon, make your cheers, and then slam it down. Bacon, is definitely an acceptable form of chaser.

bacon shot from jonbrak's flickr

Try making your own bacon-infused alcohol

Obviously, we just opened up Pandora’s box of experimenting with bacon in alcoholic beverages. Up here in Boston, a restaurant named Noche serves a bacon-infused Manhattan that sounds amazing. Reviews of it can be found here. There is also now bottled bourbons and vodkas that are infused with bacon flavor for sale. While it is cool, don’t get lazy. Go ahead and make your own at home!

If you want more bacon flavor in your bacon-inspired shots, just do the following. Place your liquor in a container. Cook up some bacon and place it in a cheesecloth. Dunk the tied up bacon cheesecloth into the liquor. Cover it up with the lid and allow it to sit for at least a couple of days. For a more detailed instructions, click here. Now you’ll have bacon-infused liquor that you can use for your shots with real bacon! Always gotta double down on the theme ingredient because who wouldn’t want bacon and bourbon shots.

I cannot wait to have a house so I may hand out candied bacon to children on Halloween and just randomly. Thanks guys for the comments. Goes to show that pork can truly go with anything. More pig please.

Candied bacon also makes for a hell of a chaser. Founding Farmers, another DC restaurant, makes a cocktail called the bone with Tabasco, Bourbon, and Lime juice served with a stirrer of thick cut candied bacon on a stick. It’s nice.

Borzino, a candied bacon post would certainly be helpful as you expand your “pig” section here.

At Matchbox, in DC, they have a Sunday bloody which has a large piece of bacon in it. The combination of bacon grease, horseradish, and all the other goodies that go into a proper bloody make for a far better breakfast drink than your standard celery garnish. Give it a shot.

And I’ll try some bourbon and bacon this weekend. I’ll let you know how it goes.

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